1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to merchandise display apparatus of the type in which products are carried on hooks attached to pegboards or other supports. Pegboard and hook assemblies of this type are typically used in retail stores and supermarkets for providing an attractive display of relatively small merchandise products.
For the retailer's convenience as well as to minimize theft, the products are usually packaged on card stock punched with holes for mounting on the pegboard hooks. The product and card stock is often contained in a clear plastic bubble or clamshell enclosure.
In the retail store the products, which include the typical card stock and/or plastic enclosure, are mounted on the pegboard hooks so that the customer can make a selection on a self-serve basis. The products, or the packaging containing them, typically have a relatively flat configuration with front and rear faces so that they hang vertically when the hook is inserted through the openings punched through the top of the card stock. The front end of the hook has a tip which is turned upwardly at a small angle on the order of 30.degree. for temporarily retaining the product. The customer makes a selection by pulling off the product from the front of the hook. This eventually leads to an unsightly merchandise display in that the products remaining on the hooks make an uneven and unsightly visual presentation.
2. Background Art
It is well known to provide return mechanisms for use with pegboard displays in an effort to maintain uniformity in the appearance of the products on the display. Typically these prior return mechanisms employ springs which urge the products forwardly on the hooks as the product at the front is selected and withdrawn by the customer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,658 to Roberts provides a spring-loaded merchandising device in which a conical compression spring is mounted about the hook with the base end of the spring adjacent the pegboard. The front end of the spring pushes against the products so that they are moved forwardly and temporarily retained by the upturned tip end of the rod. However, in an arrangement of this type the spring action is such that when viewed from one side a group of the cards tend to bunch together at the top in the manner of a fan. This is due to the configuration of the packaging in which the combined widths of the cards at the top is less than the combined widths of the bottom portions of the packaging. When the products are bunched together in this manner, the overall display is less attractive and detracts from the desired merchandizing appeal to the buyer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,894 to Dechirot provides a return spring device for use with a double pin pegboard display. The double pegboard pins, also known as safety hooks, are characterized in having a pair of pins or rods which are joined together at the front by a curved portion which is designed to minimize injury to people, such as when someone may accidentally fall against the pegboard. In the patent the rearmost product is pulled forwardly by a tension spring which loops around a curved stud mounted between the forward ends of the pins. However, this arrangement also results in the undesirable fan-like bunching together at the top of the product packaging.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,334 to Bodkins provides an anti-pilferage fixture in which the product is pushed forwardly along a cage-like structure by means of a coil compression spring. This arrangement also results in the undesirable fan-like bunching of the product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,376 to Valiulis provides a pegboard display device employing a wire bridge arranged to keep the products in a forward position on the hangar while preventing them from sliding rearwardly. A disadvantage to this arrangement is that the bridge must be manually moved forwardly as the product is withdrawn.
The need has therefore been recognized for a new and improved pegboard hook arrangement which automatically moves the product forwardly on the hooks while obviating the problem of bunching at the top to thereby maintain an attractive merchandise display.